Witchfinder General (band)

Witchfinder General were a heavy metal band from Stourbridge, England. They were part of the new wave of British heavy metal scene and have been cited as a major influence on the doom metal genre. They were named after the 1968 British horror film Witchfinder General.

Biography

Witchfinder General formed in 1979 by Zeeb Parkes & Phil Cope in Stourbridge, England, as part of the new wave of British heavy metal movement during the early 1980s. They were strongly influenced by Black Sabbath, and are widely recognised today as one of the pioneers of the doom metal style. The band's importance became acknowledged mostly after they disbanded.

The band (minus vocalist & writer Zeeb Parkes) reformed in November 2006, with new vocalist Gary Martin. In 2007 the band released Buried Amongst the Ruins, a compilation CD featuring the "Burning a Sinner" single, the Soviet Invasion EP, and four live tracks including a live version of the unreleased track "Phantasmagorical". Whilst stating they would not perform live again, the band released their third full-length album, entitled Resurrected, in 2008.

Members

• Phil Cope - guitar (1979–1984, 2006–2008), bass (1982)
• Johnny Fisher - bass (1979–1980)
• Steve Kinsell - drums (1979–1982)
• Zeeb Parkes - vocals (1979–1984)
• Kevin McCready - bass (1981–1982)
• Graham Ditchfield - drums (1982–1983)
• Rod Hawkes - bass (1982–1984, 2006–2008)
• Dermot Redmond - drums (1983–1984, 2006–2008)
• Gary Martin - vocals (2007–2008)

Discography

Studio albums

• Death Penalty (1982)
• Friends of Hell (1983)
• Resurrected (2008)

Live albums

• Live '83 (2006)

Singles/EPs

• "Burning a Sinner" (1981)
• Soviet Invasion (1982)
• "Music" (1983)

Other releases

• Buried Amongst the Ruins (2007)

See also

• List of new wave of British heavy metal bands

External links

• Official website